Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by OneAscent Financial Services LLC

OneAscent Financial Services LLC reduced its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 17.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,152 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,340 shares during the period. OneAscent Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $709,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Sachetta LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on DUK. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.2 %

DUK stock opened at $113.57 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $88.27 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $87.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $115.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.68%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Duke Energy Profile

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.